Good Times at the Men of Letters hideout
by kb18142
Summary: Spoilers for Season Eight! A few drabbles about the Winchesters and their "Bat Cave". AU beginning in Chapter 3!
1. Chapter 1 Dean's Room

**1. Dean's room******

Dean stood back and took pride in his handiwork.****

His favorite guns were hanging from the walls. Cleaned and neatly displayed on the walls of his room.****

His bed was neatly made - it was totally worth it tying that Memory Foam mattress and tying it to the top of Baby, and hauling it fifty miles back here.****

He mentally thanked the two college students whose money he won at pool that made his mattress possible.****

His clothes were neatly hung in the closet - jeans, tee shirts, suits - and his socks and underwear were in the dresser.****

Someone had been a Vonnegut fan - there was a battered copy of "Utopia 14" that Dean had excitedly claimed, thinking it was a Vonnegut novel he hadn't read - but being a little disappointed when he realized that it was the novel "Player Piano" under a different name. ****

Still, the book remained on the desk, along with equally battered copies of _Colliers_and _Galaxy_that someone had been keeping. Each magazine, he noticed, also had short stories by Vonnegut.****

Dean smiled at the idea that one of the high toned Men of Letters took delight in reading science fiction, at a time when science fiction was considered "junk".****

He put his favorite Led Zeppelin album on top of the record player he'd snagged from the library, giving Sam a glare when his brother smirked at him.****

The album had been purchased too, in the same town as the mattress.****

God love college students, Dean thought.****

Dean surveyed his room with an approving eye. ****

The last thing he did was put the one picture he had of himself and his mother - the one that his father had kept in his journal - on his desk.****

**"**Hey Mom," he said.****

Dean let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.****

Then he noticed Sam standing in the doorway.****

**"**Wow," Sam said.****

**"**What? I haven't had my own room... ever. I'm am making this awesome!"**  
****  
**


	2. Chapter 2 The Kitchen

**2. The Kitchen**

There been some money left over for groceries, so Dean decided to stop at a supermarket and pick up a few things.

The kitchen was nowhere near the modern beauty that Dean had used when he was living with Lisa and Ben - but I've cooked on worse, he thought.

He lingered a moment over the packages of meat and said to himself, "Screw it; I'm getting Angus beef."

From there, the decisions were easier - I am totally christening this kitchen in style. We can cheap out later, Dean thought.

Dean bought real Wisconsin cheddar cheese, sliced at the deli department. He bought fresh baked hamburger buns from the bakery.

He even bought romaine lettuce and a couple of juicy beefsteak tomatoes.

That's all the vegetables I'm buying, Dean thought. Sam can get off his freaking ass and get his own rabbit food!

He snagged a six-pack of Corona beer, and a six-pack of El Sol beer. Then Dean got some eggs, bacon, and okay, a loaf of whole wheat bread.

Because mornings are too early to hear Sam bitch and moan about the importance whole grains, Dean thought.

He found himself on the coffee aisle, and stopped to get a bag of whole beans ground for the still working, ancient percolator he'd found in the kitchen.

Then he heading back to the bakery, Dean thought, Screw, Sam; I'm getting cinnamon rolls.  
And one of those apple pies.

And then, as a sop to Sam's need for "health food", Dean bought a container of orange juice with the pulp still in it. Then he bought a container with "no pulp" for himself.

Hmm, we might need something for lunch tomorrow, Dean thought.

He went back to the deli and got a pound of sliced turkey for Sam and a pound of sliced ham for himself.

Then Dean found the condiments aisle and got mayonnaise and mustard, smiling at the thought of the bitch-face Sam was going to pull when he saw that Dean got the "full-fat" mayo.

Lastly, Dean bought sticks of butter for the bread and to toast the hamburger buns.

Then he was off to the checkout counters.

"Dude," Sam said when he saw Dean come in with bags of groceries, "How much money did you win off those kids? Because it looks like you bought the whole store."

"I won enough," Dean said. "And if you want to eat, you'll shut up and help unload the car."

"Wait a minute - what are you cooking?"

"Burgers."

Sam let out a sigh. "Don't we eat enough of those already?"

"These," Dean said, holding up a package, "are going to be Angus ground beef burgers. Made with my own two hands. This is nothing like that stuff we eat all the time. Besides I brought you lettuce and tomato, so you should be happy."

"Whatever, man," Sam said. "Just call me when dinner's ready."

"It's gonna be a taste sensation, Sammy!" Dean called out, as Sam went out to the Impala.

Dean patted out the burgers between his hands, then put two of them in cast iron skillet he had found.

He melted and entire stick of butter to get the burgers started frying, then once they started making their own grease, Dean washed his hands and set about slicing the tomatoes.

"You made these?" Sam asked, an incredulous look on his face.

"We have a real kitchen now," Dean replied.

"I know. I just didn't think that you knew what a kitchen was."

"I'm nesting. Eat!"

Sam bit into the burger. _Oh my God_, he thought. Dean actually knows how to cook. This burger is like gourmet quality.

"Eh? Eh?" Dean made "I told you so" noises, watching Sam's reaction.

"Wow."

"You're welcome."

A/N: I have a few ideas of what I want to write in these drabbles, all centered around the Men of Letters bunker. I'm going to go AU for the show (because I don't believe for one minute that Sam and Dean would drag complete strangers back to their new hideout - "Remember the Titans" I'm looking at you!) And yes, there will be a few quotes from the show, but 99 to 100 percent of the stories will be my own work. I own nothing!


	3. Chapter 3 Sam's New Bed

**3. Sam's New Bed**

The rooms may have been clean and lacking that "funky hotel smell" as Dean put it, but the beds were still too damned small for Sam Winchester.

It wasn't the beds fault - it looked as though the last time the bunker was renovated was the 1930s - "because Art Deco fixtures, dude," Sam said.

"How do you even know that stuff?" Dean asked.

Dean had no problem driving out to relieve some more college students out of their spending money - and quite frankly, neither did Sam.

So the two brothers made a trip out from Lebanon, Kansas to Manhattan, Kansas to hit up some of the students at Kansas State University.

Dean may have been able to get his new mattress fifty miles out in Beloit, KS, but for something to fit Sam? No, only the one hundred and forty-odd mile trip to Manhattan would do.

And afterwards, Sam had enough money to not only buy a new bed, but enough money to get new sheets and pillow cases too.

_Because really, boys and girls? Just because two guys look like "townies" doesn't mean that they're stupid_, Sam thought.

"Do they make memory foam pillows, I wonder?" Dean asked, as they walked through Target.

Apparently, they did.

Sam grinned as Dean stuffed two of the thirty dollar pillows in his shopping cart.

"You might want to get yourself a new robe while you're at it," Sam suggested.

"What's wrong with my robe?"

"Besides belonging to a dead guy? Nothing."

Dean rolled his eyes. "We've worn thrift store clothes all our lives - some of those had to have been from dead guys!"

"But it's a robe. Next to your skin. That was next to some dead guy's skin..."

"Whatever. I'm going to go look for some pillowcases for my new pillows!"

And off Dean went.

Sam had already picked out his new bed at the Beds Galore store next door.

It was not memory foam.

It was a California King sized mattress. And firm.

Sam hated soft mattresses.

And yeah, his new bed was basically a base, box springs, a mattress, pillow cases and sheets, but it was his own.

And it was long enough.

The choice of sheets were limited to solid colors at Target, but Sam felt satisfied with them.

As they packed the bed into the U-Haul they'd rented, Sam thought,_ Maybe one day, I'll get enough money to buy a padded headboard._

Dean had grinned when he saw Sam looking longingly at the headboard in the Beds Galore store.

"Dude! You are totally a girl! Because that headboard? Girly. I mean, girly girl girly!"

"What? It's great for reading in bed!" Then, seeing Dean's smirk, Sam added, "Shut up!"


	4. Chapter 4 The Kitchen, Redux

**A/N: This one is really short!**

**4. The Kitchen, Redux**

Dean watched as Sam chopped some onions, and green bell peppers, then put it into the pan of ground turkey that was browning on the stove.

"Next time I'm buying the meat," Dean said, crossing his arms. "Obviously you can't be trusted to follow the freaking list."

Sam took a moment to give Dean the "I don't want a triple-bypass by the time I'm forty" bitchface, before checking on the spaghetti sauce.

"What's wrong with turkey?" Sam asked.

"Nothing - when it's on a sandwich with swiss and mayo," Dean replied. "And grilled."


	5. Chapter 5 Fluffy White Towels

**A/N: Another short one! I think two short updates equals one long one!**

**5. Fluffy White Towels.**

Towels.

Dean had found a whole closet full.

They were a little dusty. (Okay, a lot dusty.) And they had to drive to the town laundromat to clean them.

But now they were fluffy.

Fluffy.

White.

Towels.

Dean had picked up a circular at Target and there was an advertisement for a towel warmer.

Mmm, towel warmer, Dean thought.

He closed his eyes.

He saw the white box in his mind.

Do I dare? A towel warmer?

I wonder if I could warm my robe in it? Or my socks?

Wait – will I get electrocuted?

If Sam laughs, I'm gonna kick his ass.


	6. Chapter 6 The Library

**6. The Library**

The library had been Sam's special room ever since they had found "the Bat Cave".

Sam could barely sleep that first night (and it wasn't just the too short bed) at the thought of an entire _library_ at his fingertips.

He had woken up early, taken a shower, and had started looking through the books.

The first thing he noticed was that there were copies of books that Bobby had in his own home - and he smiled to think that Henry Winchester would have been surprised to learn that a "mere" hunter had that kind of knowledge.

Of course, Bobby's books had smelled like leather, and – occasionally - a whiff cheap rot gut ; but mostly a whiff of one too many greasy meals cooked in the nearby kitchen.

There were no volumes in_ this_ library that were stained with a tell-tale stain from a coffee cup used to prop open its pages.

Sam had loved the bright, clean and orderly libraries of his youth, as he now loved this library that was at his disposal.

_But Bobby's books?_ _That was home_, he thought. _This place is wonderful - it can help us to help so many people - but it will never be home._

Sam sighed and went back to a volume on "Angelic Lore" and turned to a page on an angel called Sophiel.

On the bottom of the page, there was a brown circle.

It looked exactly like a coffee stain.

_Never say never_, Sam thought.

**SPNSPNSPNSPN**

"Let's not go all geek," Dean had said.

Sam had spent most of the morning just trying to figure out the Men of Letters' system of cataloging - some books were Dewey; some books were Library of Congress; but most were their own system of classification.

_Screw it, _Sam thought, _I'm totally going geek._

**SPNSPNSPNSPN**

A few days later, after they had said goodbye to Aaron and his Golem, Sam had sat down to make a card for their copy of the Thule Society's red ledger.

"So... what? Aaron's a J.I. and you're a man of letters now?" Dean asked.

Sam said nothing.

He knew that researching had always been his thing, not Dean's. Sam was even cool with Dean's teasing him about "going geek".

_Nowadays, at least - when I was younger, I might have been a bit more touchy about Dean's teasing, _Sam thought.

But Dean had never made him feel bad about his love of books the way their father had. (Although - now knowing John's history with his own father, Henry - a lot of things made much more sense.)

So it shouldn't have made Sam so ridiculously happy when Dean set a glass of whiskey in front of him and said, "Good."

But it did.


	7. Chapter 7 Kitchen the Third

**7. Kitchen the Third**

"The best Batman was Christian Bale!" Sam yelled, waving half of his grilled cheese sandwich as he spoke.

Dean swallowed the bite he'd taken. **"**Are you insane? Dude's not even American! Michael Keaton was the best Batman!"

"Why? Because he's American?" Sam snerked.

"Because he was the first one that said the line" - and here, Dean let his voice drop a bit - "I'm Batman."

"The first movie was unrealistic and boring; the second was a complete mess...The Nolan films are well-written, and critically acclaimed..."

"So was Burton's Batman!"

"The first one! Not the second one!"

"I can't believe we're even related," Dean replied. "Next you'll be saying that Ledger's Joker was better than Nicholson's"

"He was!"

"You're insane!"

"I'm entitled to my opinion, Dean!"

"No you're not! Because your opinion is crazy!"

Dean finished his grilled cheese sandwich. "I'm making another one of these; you want one?"

"Please," Sam replied.

"Coming right up," Dean said, setting buttering the slices of bread, then setting up the slices of Cheddar cheese atop them.

"But there's no way that Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is hotter than Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman!" Dean exclaimed.

Sam gave Dean the "I can't believe we're even arguing this!" bitch face.

**"**Eh, you're right - they're both hot," Dean replied, buttering the iron skillet.


	8. Chapter 8 Sick Day

**8. Sick Day**

Garth had called Dean and Sam to work on a job in southeastern Kansas that Garth thought was a Wendigo in the winter woods.

It turned out to be a very angry Mama Black Bear, with two cubs.

As a result, "Ranger McCartney" and "Ranger Harrison" of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service had spent a long, rainy night up an elm tree, fending off said Mama Bear - who was only protecting her babies, after all.

They left as soon as Mama Bear got tired of trying to yank them out of said elm tree. "Ranger McCartney" and "Ranger Harrison" alerted the_ real_ authorities about the black bear family - a family that more than likely had wandered over from Arkansas - and who _really, really_ needed to be tranked and sent back to Arkansas before Mama Bear cornered someone else.

By the time they got back to they reached Manhattan, Kansas, Dean and Sam both had scratchy throats and were dragging themselves out of the car to the Co-op Market and Pharmacy.

While Dean was searching out cold medicines, Sam was in the produce aisle getting oranges (for vitamin C) and bananas (for potassium).

While Dean was on the potato chip aisle grabbing a bag of Lays Sriracha chips - then, thinking better of it, also got a bag of plain Lays potato chips - Sam got a jar of Planters' sunflower seeds.

"What? They're high in antioxidants and B-complex vitamins!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean said nothing until Sam threw in two bottles of Kombucha into the cart.

"_Kombu_- say - what - now?" Dean asked.

"Kombucha," Sam said. "It's a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast made into fermented tea that helps with detoxification."

"You lost me at_ bacteria_ and _yeast_," Dean said. "Okay, and at _symbiotic_. And I'm pretty sure humans invented medicine to fight bacteria and yeast!"

"But it's good for you!"

"Keep your hippie medicine to yourself; I'll stick with Flintstones' chewables."

"Those are for kids," Sam said. "Fine; I'm too tired to argue."

Sam spied the bags of potato chips that Dean had put in the cart

"Really?" Sam gave him an "I can't believe you're still alive with all the crap you put in your body" bitch face.

"Shut up," Dean answered. "They're comfort food."

Nothing was said as Dean put Campbell's Tomato and Rice soup in his cart, and Sam went to get packages of Ramen noodles.

Dean gave Sam a "You've got some nerve complaining about my food" look.

"Shut up," Sam said. "It's comfort food."

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

By the time they arrived at the "Bat Cave" both Dean and Sam could do nothing but take their medicines and crawl into their own beds.

They both woke up about four hours later, cold, coughing and hungry.

They heated up Dean's tomato and rice soup in a saucepan. In the tea kettle they heated some water for Sam's ramen noodles and hot tea for the both of them.

They each took another swig of cough medicine, then turned on the oven to try to heat the little kitchen, shivering as they ate their soups and drank their tea.

"Is it me or is it cold in here?" Dean asked.

"It's both," Sam said.

They each drank two cups of tea, then went on the hunt for some blankets.

One closet was locked, and no key could be found. The other closet held boxes that Sam vowed to catalog later, when his head didn't feel like it was stuffed with wool.

Then there was a closet just off the bedrooms, and the only things it held were two dusty, gray army blankets with two dusty, army cots.

"Well, I think we can put 'heating' under the 'broke' category," Sam said. shaking out his blanket and coughing.

"Space heaters," Dean said, heading back to his room with his blanket. "When we're better we each get space heaters."

"Just don't burn down the Bat Cave, Jerk," Sam replied.

"Same to you, Bitch."

**SPNSPNSPNSPN**

The next morning they sat in silence, warming up in the kitchen as they had fruit and tea for breakfast (they were too tired to make anything else.)

As Sam was peeling his orange, and Dean was about to eat one of the bananas, Sam said, "I'm cold."

Dean looked at him. "Yeah. Me too."

Sam looked thoughtful as he ate an orange section. "Tell you what - you don't eat your potato chips in my bed, and I won't make you drink my Kombucha."

"Why do I have to sleep in your bed?"

"Because your bed is too small," Sam said.

Dean took a sip of his tea. "Fine; I get the side closest to the bathroom."

"What? I sleep on that side!"

"Too late! I called it!"

"Fine," Sam said.

Dean got his pillows, his army blanket and trudged over to Sam's bedroom.

"You want a fried egg sandwich for lunch?" Dean asked, as he put his things on the bed.

Sam turned over and looked at him. "Sure; thanks."

"Of course, if I still feel like hell, you'll have to make it!" Dean let out a laugh, which turned into a coughing fit.

"Uh huh," Sam replied, turning back over.

Dean snuggled in the bed next to his brother.

Sam pulled most of the flat sheet over on his side of the bed.

"Sam, stop hogging the covers," Dean murmured, pulling back.

"My bed, my rules," Sam murmured, kicking Dean in the shin.

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the follows, the reviews and the faves! Next update won't be take long, I promise!**


	9. Chapter 9 Guest

**9. Guest**

"You know, Dean, I've been thinking..." Sam began, looking up from his research.

"That's never a good sign," Dean interrupted.

"We should invite Kevin here," Sam said. "I mean, this place has got to be more secure than Garth's houseboat, right? And all these books - pretty sure the Men of Letters has to have some information that he can't get anywhere else."

Dean said nothing.

"And I'm worried about him. I mean, he's separated from his mom - and Garth is out on cases, and being Bobby Junior now. I think Kevin needs someone looking after him, making sure he's eating and sleeping, you know? And..."

"And what?" Dean asked.

"Maybe he's lonely," Sam answered, shrugging his shoulders the way he did when he thought Dean was going to reject his suggestions.

"Okay," Dean said. "Call him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," Dean said. "But I don't want you two nerds having your slumber party, all night, in the library! You're both going to bed around midnight!"

"Oh you did not just try to give me a curfew!"

"And no nerd talk at the dinner table!"

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

Dean was secretly glad he'd agreed to let Sam invite Kevin to come stay with with them, and that Kevin had agreed.

Well, it did take Sam telling him about the Men of Letters library to get the prophet to come voluntarily, Dean thought. For a moment, I thought we'd have to knock him out and kidnap him.

Dean was cooking everyone some dinner. He was tired from the fourteen hour round-trip drive to Warsaw, Missouri, and back - but once he had seen the state that Kevin was in, he'd thrown out his misgivings about letting someone else stay at the hideout.

The kid's in bad shape, Dean thought. Sam's right - he needs someone to look after him.

Dean was taken aback at how haggard Kevin looked, and how far the kid had let himself go. This was not a good sign. Not only did they need Kevin to translate his part of the Demon tablet - Dean liked Kevin. He liked both Kevin Tran, and his mom, Linda. Neither of them had asked for anything that had happened to them over the past year and a half. First with the Leviathans, then with Crowley. And both of them had decided to help take down Crowley, to help seal up hell, or die trying.

Linda Tran was acting as "hunter liaison" while Garth was out on cases, so most of the time Kevin was alone.

The least we can do is make sure he's okay and gets a decent meal in him, Dean thought.

Sam had stocked up on his favorite "hippie medicine" the the Co-op in Manhattan, Kansas, and Dean had done grocery shopping there. Kevin had slept most of the fourteen hour drive, only waking up for bathroom runs and once to eat a burger and drink a raspberry-lime cooler at Sonic.

Dean was making steaks on the broiler, along with baked potatoes and canned peas. Dean had gotten a blueberry pie and a gallon of vanilla ice cream for dessert. Sam had only stepped in the kitchen to slice up veggies and put together a salad - Dean had insisted that Sam get "real salad dressing, like Thousand Island or Ranch" along with "whatever girly dressing he was into this week".

"Come on, man! If I have to eat salad, I want a dressing that's not all fruit and whatever that black vinegar you like is!" Dean exclaimed.

"You mean balsamic vinegar?" Sam asked.

"I mean whatever that crap is. Reminds me of freaking black goo from the Leviathans!"

"You're an idiot," Sam said.

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

Dean checked up on Sam and Kevin. They'd started "geeking out" the minute they'd set foot into the bunker, only taking a break when Dean insisted that Kevin "take a damned shower'.

Now the two of them were looking at the books Sam had pulled off the shelves that might have any lore he'd found regarding Metatron, and any other tablets the angel might have hidden.

"Alright, you two, break time," Dean said. "Clear your books off the table. We're gonna have a proper mealtime, or so help me, I'm gonna break some heads."

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

"Good call on getting Kevin here," Dean said, as he and Sam were walking to their rooms.

There'd been another, smaller room that Sam had cleaned and gotten aired out before they'd picked up Kevin. The younger man was snoring by the time the two Winchesters had deposited him into bed. Kevin had eaten everything Dean put in front of him, and had started drowsing off over his slice of blueberry pie. Dean had called it "a good waste of pie" but had put Kevin's slice in the refrigerator and helped to walk Kevin to the "guest room".

Sam stopped to look at his brother. "I know you wanted to keep this place ours..."

"It's still ours. Besides, I know you just wanted a geeky little brother of your own to look after," Dean smirked.

Sam snorted. "Dude, you are such an ass."

"Why thank you!"

"Not a compliment, Dean..." Sam paused and put his hand on Dean's shoulder. "Thanks for looking out for me."

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

**A/N: "Pac-Man Fever" had the boys letting Charlie into the bunker - which I'm cool with, BUT! Really! - why didn't they have Kevin come stay at the bunker? DUH! Makes me mad the writers didn't think of that!**

**And Linda Tran "crying all the time"? I don't think so! IGNORING IT!**

**But how cool is it that the bunker has its OWN SHOOTING RANGE? And that they can call out and use wifi and no one can trace them? SWEET!**

**HOWEVER- were those cars and a factory near the bunker in that last shot? If there was, I'm ignoring it! ARGH! Makes no sense whatsoever!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or favorited or followed this story! It means a lot to me!**


	10. Ch 10 Tomato Rice soup & Ramen Noodles

**10. Tomato Rice Soup and Ramen Noodles**

Tomato Rice soup was what Mary's mother, Deanna, made for her when she was sick.

Mary remembered hugs and kisses and a loving mother- so it was what she made for her first-born son when he was sick.

Dean remembered a loving mother, who would sit next to him and feed him tomato rice soup, and kiss his fevered brow.

He would fall asleep to her singing "Hey Jude".

Sam remembers a loving brother not much older than himself feed him Tomato Rice soup when he could get it. Sam preferred Chicken Noodle, but once Dean said, "Mom used to make it for me," he didn't argue.

Sam never knew his mother, and Dean did, even if it was for a little while.

When he was older - and money was tight - Sam and Dean lived on Ramen noodles.

Dean would complain, but Sam loved loved the commercials with the smiling families, slurping the noodles down.

Tomato Rice soup belonged to another time, to a family Sam would never be a part of - at least this was something that was he could share with Dean.

Later, when Sam went to Stanford, he would eat bowl after bowl as a freshman, studying with his best friend, Brady (who never, ever went by his first name, Tyson) and later, with a girl he was getting to know named Jessica Moore.

But now, after completing the first trial, Sam sees the worry on Dean's face. And accepts the bowl of Tomato Rice soup his brother offers without complaint.

**SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN**

**A/N: I know this chapter's kinda sad, but I couldn't figure out a happy way to get Sam to the trials -hope this doesn't turn you off to the story.**

**I appreciate everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited this story! It means a lot to me!**


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